We live in a hurly-burly world where negative energy surrounds us. We go out into a world where, at any moment, a chance encounter can bring us face to face with anger, envy, aggression, and fear. The negative emotions spill over onto us, provoking a response, elevating our reaction, crashing our mood. When we do make it into work, or school, or that place we are going, we encounter others, the friend who is an energy vampire, the jealous boss who a twisted lying manipulator, the suspicious colleague who disrupts and even sabotages projects. We need to learn counter measures in order to preserve our happiness and insure that we survive. Negative energy is out there. And it is dangerous to our happiness and our health. Contact can cause stress, anxiety, fatigue, headaches, and depression. Negative energy has the power to color our world. A negative encounter can shift our perception and change the way we feel. It can change a happy outlook into an angry one. It can shift peace into depression. It can erase hope and replace it with despair. If we let negative energy washover us, it can ruin our lives. But there are ways to defend yourself.

Don't give the negative thing power.If you come face to face with a negative situation or an angry person, don't let their dark mood sour yours. Break off the encounter as quickly as you can. When you are alone, brush off the encounter and counter the negative experience with a smile. There is a well-documented mind-body connection. Studies have consistently shown that our emotional experience can have a negative impact on our health. It is also true that the body's actions impact the mind. So smile. Grin. Laugh if you are away from the altrication. Recent studies have shown that controlling the face can help control the mind and that learning to relaxing the face when angry, or distressed, can help control emotions. The act of smiling alters our stress response in difficult situations by signaling the body that things are safe and that everything is alright. The smile lulls the mind out of its state of emotional distress and changes the way we feel about things. So relax your face, force a smile, and if you are well away, laugh. Studies have shown that laughter increases happiness, helps to relieve pain, and even increases immunity. A good laugh can lift the spirits and alleviate stress. So when you encounter someone or something not so nice, shift your response by laughing it off.

Do not dwell on the negative.Do not let a negative encounter hijack your thoughts. Nothing good will be accomplished by dwelling on the negative. Let it go and shift your mind to a positive outlook. Use your senses to anchor your attention to the present moment. Are you in the car driving along, your mind mulling over what so and so said at lunch? Let the nagging worry go and come awake to the present moment. Move your thoughts to what you can see, to what you can smell. Flex your hands as you notice the feeling of touch under your palms and fingertips... Are you outside? Move your awareness to your skin. Is it being warmed by the sun or cooled by a breeze? What do you hear in the world around you? Are you out walking? Notice the feel of the path under your feet. The way your muscles extend as you take a step… When we move our focus to our sense we become grounded in the moment. Next time a worry hijacks you, come awake. Take in the present moment. What do you see, hear, smell, feel, taste? Use these to anchor you to the moment. This is you here, now in your life. Practice being in the present and you will discover that when one stops spending their life trapped in the past or planning the future, they are able to get on with the Now. Shift your thoughts to the positive and watch how your whole reality shifts. You can have the life you want simply by changing the way you look at it. Just let go of anger, fear, and worry, and put your energy toward a positive outlook. Try it. Next time you find your thoughts slip to the negative, shake them off. Come to present and wake. Move your mind to something you are grateful for. Count your blessings. The simple act of being grateful can transform one into a happier person.

Employ a mantra.There are several childhood rhymes that are simple magic mantras. My favorite is, "I am rubber, you are glue, bounces off me and stick to you." Chants and song have been used by man down through the ages to increase awareness, induce calmness, inspire action, lift the spirit, and raise consciousness. Sound has power. Our brain believes what it hears. So after a negative encounter, fortify yourself with a positive mantra. Replace the negative with a positive and smile. The positive enrgy will bolster your mood and lift your spirit. Mantras are an important part of many religions, including Catholisim, Hinduism and Buddhism. Repeating a familar phrase calms the mind and aids in focus so instead of reacting, one remains empowered.“Keep it together, keep it together.” and "Stay calm and carry on." are examples of mantras. A mantra is a string of sounds or a meaningful phrase that is repeated to shift ones consciousness. A personal mantra can be any string of sounds that draws the mind back to the present. Create your own mantra. Our brain believes what it hears. Next time you find your thoughts lurking in a dark, angry place, snap out of it by switching to an attitude of Gratitude. Being thankful is an instant way to shift your mood. Smile and say, “Thank you for all that I have, All that I am, and all the potential I have to be.”

Sheild yourself.A psychic shield is a thought construct made of energy. The shied is often visualized as a wall, or a shell, that encompasses the creator. The shield is often visualized as a white light, a fortified wall made of silver, or a reflective sphere that not only protects but returns the negative energy and even renders the creator anonymous or invisible. A shield can help if you find yourself experiencing a sudden unexplained sensation: You sense you are being watched, you experience a sudden poke or sharp pain, you develope a sudden head ache, your energy drains.

Wear a TalismanSome of the earliest jewlery were Talismans and Amulets worn and carried for protection since the dawn of time. Native peoples carved images of totem animals into to stone, allies ready to assit with energy for protection and abundance. Later religious symbols were tattooed on the skin. Ancient Egyptians wore ankhs and the Eye of Horus to ward off evil. Today's Christians wear crosses or pendants of a personal saint. Italian favor the golden horn, or cornicello. Many Middle Easterners wear the ‘hamsa’, meaning five fingers of the hand, as protection against danger and bad luck. Those of Jewish descent wear amulets depicting the Star of David. While neo-pagans favor the pentagram.

Make up a Batch of Four Thieves oilFour Thieves oil is a blend of oils with anti-microbial properties and has been found to be highly effective against airborne bacteria and warding against energy vampirism. Lore has it that the original recipe was a vinegar concocted by grave robbers during the sixteen-hundreds to avoid getting the plague. In 1997 Weber State University did a study on airborne bacteria, and found the essential oil blend to be 99.96 percent effective in being anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-septic, and anti-fungal.

Four Thieves Oil Blend10 drops of Clove Oil9 drops of Lemon Oil5 drops of Cinnamon Bark4 drops of Eucalyptus Oil 3 drops of Rosemary OilMix together and store in a dark glass container

This oil blend is strong. Do not use on your skin unless you dilute it with a carrier oil. To use as a cleaning aid: Add to nine drops to a bucket of washwater and use to wash surfaces down. Burn in an oil diffuser to purify the air and to grant magickal protection. Add a few drops to a handful of grapeseed oil and rub into the bottom of your feet to fortify your immune system whenever you have to go out among crowds or visit someone sick. Add five drops to a spray bottle of spring water and spritz, (These oils are strong. Avoid getting anywhere near the face and eyes) to ward against energy vampirism.

Nutralize the negitive with salt.Negative vibrations act like a magnet that attract more and more harmful energy. Salt is a wonderful cleanser. To clean up after a negative event, add salt to your cleaning water and wash the area down. You can also aspersing the area by adding salt to water and sprinkling the mix around the room's perimeter. Another tool that is handy for absorbing negative energy is Charcoal. Briquettes of charcoal will absorb toxins and negative energy. Combining charcoal and sea salt is an effective way to safely remove negative energy from a room. When moving into a new home you can leave three briquettes on a dish in the middle of a room before you move anything in. Leave overnight, then remove and bury

SmudgeNegative energy is residual. It hangs around to color a place. Have you ever noticed how a room feels after an argument? Have you ever walked into a place and felt that something was wrong? Energy leaves an imprint. Each building, each plot of land, each home, barn or shed all have a history that has left an imprint upon them, a store of energy that we can sense and feel. A place will store the mood of the actions that took place there and convey this energy in feelings of anxiety and fear, as well as happiness and peace.

Light a Sage wand and waft the smoke around to dispel any negative residue that might be hanging around. Burning a stick of incense or a few drops of essential oils in an aromatherapy burner to change the energy of a room. Oil of Frankincense, Sage, Sweet Grass, Pine Resin, Juniper, Desert Mugwort, Rue, Yarrow, and Marjoram are common oils used to cleanse a space of negative energy.

Ward Your HomeIn the past it was common place for symbols, runes, and even faces to be built into or carved around threshold to ward the home and keep it safe. Nailing an iron horseshoe over the door is a traditional threshold symbol of protection and good luck that is still used by many today. If you don’t have an actual horseshoe, you can paint or carve one over the doorway. Again different households have different views on how this should be done. Some say the ends should be up to hold the luck. Others claim the ends should be down for the flow of protection and luck to pour out onto those who cross through beneath.